Mark Harms Bio

Mark Harms is a founder and joint managing partner of Bespoke. Mark manages the firm, is a member of Bespoke’s Investment Committee and sits on the board of Bespoke’s portfolio companies including Bespoke Capital Acquisitions Corp., Vinventions and World Gym Taiwan as well as Olympic Entertainment. Mark was a Vice Chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council for 5 years, a member and on the Board of the International Association of Gaming Advisors, a William Pitt Fellow of Chatham House, on the Advisory Board of the L,S&A College of the University of Michigan, and active in a number of other charitable endeavours. Mark co-founded the Mayfair chapter of YPO, and was Education Chair and Chapter Chair of YPO Mayfair, and also Education Chair of YPO Gold London. Prior to Bespoke, Mark founded Global Leisure Partners in 2004, where he is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. GLP has advised on over US$60 billion of transactions to date, deploying over $500 million of capital into a number of investments and developing an industry leading Operating Executive Network with 75+ members. Mark has completed over 130 advisory and principal transactions in North and South America, Europe and Australia with more than half of these in the fitness, gaming, hospitality and leisure industries, and the balance in the broader consumer industries. Mark has extensive experience with regard to leveraged debt, mezzanine and equity financing techniques in Europe and the U.S. with over US$100bn in completed transactions. Prior to founding GLP, he worked at Oppenheimer as a Managing Director and at CIBC as Global Head of the Gaming, Lodging, and Leisure Group as well as the Head of the Consumer Growth Group. Under his leadership Oppenheimer and CIBC developed a global reputation for financing and advisory excellence and leading market shares in each of the key financing product lines. Mark has a BA (Honors) from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is fluent in German. Mark and his wife and business partner of 22+ years divide their time between the US and the UK.